Group works to stop 212-unit apartment development; launches new online fundraiser for legal efforts

The fight to stop a 212-unit apartment complex from being developed along North Bend Way on the Dahlgren Property – often referred to as the Mule Pasture – has recently taken a new step.

A group called Friends of the Snoqualmie Valley Trail and River is vigorously contesting the development – taking to online fundraising over the past couple of months to hire a lawyer to explore legal strategies to accomplish their goal.

According to a new update from the group, they’ve made “great progress” to date, but now need to broaden their efforts in order to move forward with an Environmental Impact Analysis of the 22 acres of land that sits at the base of Mount Si and borders the Snoqualmie Valley Trail. They say they are also forming a consortium with the hope of purchasing the land and create an “All-Inclusive Outdoor Experience Park.”

But what about the land owner’s rights?

The group says they understand and respect those rights, but strongly feel an apartment complex so close to Mount Si and the Snoqualmie River and Trail would be harmful to the environment and local wildlife, preferring instead something that “meets the land owner’s needs, fits the city’s vision, and better meets the needs of current North Bend and Puget Sound residents for accessible green open spaces.”

A new GoFundMe was recently launched with a goal of raising $10,000 to help complete the group’s legal review and pay experts to perform an Environmental Impact Analysis.

In early May the apartment complex developer, Cedar River Partners, and Dahlgren Family representatives held a well-attended community open house where technical experts and professionals listened to community input on the project and shared information about their apartment proposal.

The project proposes to cluster the apartment buildings on about 17-acres of the property, with the remaining acreage dedicated to the City of North Bend as a park.